Glossary of Perfume Terms

GLOSSARY

Here are some terms that you'll need to know for your perfume journey:

Accord
The basic character or theme of fragrance - a blend of several complimentary perfume notes, that work in harmony to create a new impression. Works like a musical chord - e.g. a jazz chord versus a "spice" accord, in a fragrance.

Aldehyde
Aldehydes are a group of synthetic compounds, which impart top notes with weight and vibrancy and a powdery drydown quality to fragrances - first used in Chanel No.5.

Animalic
Scents from the animal kingdom, such as musk, civet, amber.

Anosmia
The inability to smell - e.g. a person is anosmic to resins - they can't detect the smell of balsam or pine in a fragrance.

Aroma
Describes a sensation which is between smell and taste - e.g. the aroma of coffee.

Aromatics
The universal fragrance family which uses fresh, floral, spicy and woody notes. Referred to as "fougères" from the French word for "fern", and were used first as fragrances for men in the late 1800's.

Balsamic
The sweet, warm notes from resins such as balsam and other evergreens.

Base notes
The third stage of fragrance evaporation, these notes are the foundation of a scent, and include fixatives such as woods, leathers, tobacco, and animalics.

Bitter
A perfume odour which has a metallic green quality, devoid of sweetness.

Civet
Civet is a glandular secretion obtained from civet cats, which smells like sewage, but when added to perfume, it is perceived as a radiant sexy smell. It is classified as an animalic note.

Chypres
A fragrance family, a complex of moss, mixed with citrus and woody notes, combined with floral and/or fruity notes. Chypres are characterized as strong, spicy and powdery.

Development
How a fragrance changes over time, after the inital application, to reveal different notes.

Drydown
The point in time at which a fragrance reaches its heart notes, or the true character of its smell - usually about one hour after application .

Duration
From the moment of application, the length of time a perfume releases its characteristic fragrance, until it fades.

Fresh
An invigorating, outdoor or nature inspired fragrance with citrus or green notes.

Floral
Either the characteristic of a specific flower, for example, gardenia, which is called a soliflore, or a blend of several floral notes, which may use different combinations of flowers such as jasmine, lily, rose, tuberose, carnation, iris, violet, etc.

Fougères
French for "fern". Fougères depend upon aromatic chemicals which produce fern-like notes which combine well with lavender, citrus and coumarin, and result in "manly" scents.. They were first use in the late 1800's, and are now worn by both men and women.

Linear
Built around a single accord or note, the smell is revealed at the top and does not develop significantly more in the drydown.

Middle notes
The heart, bouquet, or middle stage of fragrance evaporation, which forms the character of the fragrance. Heart notes start to emerge after 10 to 30 minutes and can last for hours.

Musk
Musk is a secretion from the musk deer of Central Asia, collected during rutting season, and therefore extremely expensive. Classified as an animalic note, it is very potent and was used as base in perfumery to add warmth and eroticism. Today, synthetic musks known as nitromusks are used, also vegetal musks from plants, due to cost and European toxic products regulations which prohibit the use of animal musk.)

Nose
A master perfumer; of which there currently only 50 in the world, approximately. A "nose" is a professional perfumeur whose creative and technical skills enable them to push the boundaries, and establish new scent trends.

Sillage
The aroma detected in the air from a person wearing a scent - can be referred to as the "fragrance trail".

Synthetic
Synthetic ingredients are used in almost all fragrances. They are duplicated chemically from the original scent compounds, and can contain no more than 20% of the original natural scent compound.

Top notes
The first impression of a fragrance, which vanishes quickly, between 5 and 30 minutes. Top notes are characterized as volatile, or unstable. Citrus scents like orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit are very short-lived.

Volatile
Scents which disperse or evaporate quickly, usually at a low temperature. Citrus, aldehydes, green, herbal, and coniferous scents are usually top-notes because they are volatile.

Warm notes
Detected in fragrances with ingredients made from animal origins, such as civet, musk an amber. They are very long-lasting.

Woody
Linked to the aroma of freshly-cut, dry wood, or fibrous root, such as sandalwood or vetiver.